August 21, 2007

Porn Star Interview: Ray Dragon

BY VINCENT LAMBERT

When porn veteran Ray Dragon got the call that he was being considered for induction into the GAYVN Hall of Fame at this year’s awards, he didn’t believe it was real. “I thought they were playing a joke on me,” Dragon recalls with a laugh. But a couple of months later, there he was, standing onstage at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, receiving his trophy from director Gino Colbert. “It’s nice when they come back and say thanks. It’s an honor.” It was also the culmination of many years of hard work.

Dragon’s porn career began in 1990 with what he refers to as “two visits to California.” That is when the former gymnast and dancer who hails from Detroit shot some pictures and filmed a couple of solo scenes for famed photographer Jim French and his COLT Studios. “It turned into a hell of a lot more than I ever imagined,” Dragon says of the response to his initial exposure. “It very quickly took on its own persona—the Ray Dragon persona.” When asked to define what that persona is, Dragon describes a man who exudes natural masculinity, wears no makeup and is “just very real. The pictures touched a nerve,” he says. “I was surprised, but it’s always good to know that someone is getting off to your pictures and movies. That is a huge compliment.”

But Dragon didn’t linger in the industry. While shooting porn he was also studying industrial and computer design and soon branched out into the fashion industry. “Making clothes is actually all about engineering,” Dragon says, and his pioneering work with stretch fabrics evolved into a successful line of menswear that spawned stores in Manhattan, Los Angeles, Fire Island and Paris and a staff of 20. “I was gay and sold to gay customers,” Dragon says. “Gay customers are the toughest. They have the money and can buy whatever they want. I was out and gay when it wasn’t fashionable. This was the early ’90s. I mean, Calvin Klein got married!”

After 12 years as a designer, Dragon felt that he had accomplished what he had set out to do. An article in The New York Times about the profitability of the porn industry eventually prompted his return to it. “I was tired of fashion,” he says, “and I read about how pornographers were making so much money and how the industry was becoming so niche oriented, so I decided to make a niche for myself—a niche for mature men.” In 2001, Dragon returned to the business with Titan Media’s Gorge in a scene with Jon Galt. He says that the film was “a bit of pressure,” partly due to the fact that he had never actually had sex on-screen before. “I had been good at playing with myself,” Dragon says with a laugh, “but this was different. It was so much more work! But I got through it.” He went back to COLT for Reload with director John Rutherford and filmed 110˚ in Tucson, Deep Water Beach Patrol #1 and LifeGuard! with director Joe Gage and Woodsmen for Titan.

He also launched his own production company, Dragon Media, and Web site around this time, having had experience with the Internet from his fashion business. This turned into another source of income, as Dragon filmed and edited original material for subscribers. “You have to employ a wider array of products to keep people interested,” he says, which is why members of raydragon.com get iPod downloads, a series of Webcam shows, streaming video, model galleries and plenty of sexy images of Dragon himself. He also designs and programs the sites studlist.net and buddybooth.tv.

Dragon also started hiring myself out as a cameraman, shooting for Lucas Entertainment and other top companies. “I really like doing camera work,” he says. “It’s easy. I just do as I’m told, hold the camera still and that’s it. And it’s also interesting to work with other directors and observe their styles.”

The New York¬–based star says that the thing he enjoys most about directing is the challenge of it. “There are so many factors involved,” he says. “There is always something going wrong, something happening—a model is canceling, a location is falling through. Getting all the elements to come together is really hard.”

But Dragon continues to do it, for his Web sites and for others. He recently signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Dark Alley Media, which will sell the entire Dragon Media catalog. The two companies co-released Jonny’s Place, starring Jonny Mack and Arpad Miklos, in February. Dragon also hopes to do more movies as a model and hints at some new business plans that will be announced later this year. But for now, he fondly recalls this year’s GAYVNs. “Kathy Griffin was amazing. I enjoyed it all. I got through my speech and even remembered to thank everyone I wanted to.” Of his long career in the public eye—through both porn and fashion—Dragon says, “I’ve touched a lot of souls.”

About Vincent Lambert

Vincent Lambert is a New York–based journalist, blogger and photographer who has covered the adult-entertainment industry since 1996. He has written for numerous publications, including Adult Video News, GAYVN, XBIZ, Adam Gay Film & Video Directory, Unzipped, Freshmen, Men, Latin Inches, Black Inches, All-Man, Manshots, Inside Porn and HX. Lambert has interviewed some of gay porn’s brightest stars—such as Jeff Stryker, Ryan Idol and Zeb Atlas—and reported on a variety of events, including Will Clark’s Bad Boys Pool Party and the Gay Erotic Expo. He also served as a judge for the GAYVN Awards for 12 years. In 2006, Lambert stepped behind the camera to write and direct his first scene, titled “Sex Party for Two,” for Lucas Entertainment’s “Encounters 2: The Point of No Return.” In 2007, he created his popular site VincentLambert.com, which features news, gossip and information. His short stories appear in three books from German publisher Bruno Gmünder. E-mail him at VincentLambertNYC@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @VinceLambertNYC.